Ben and Monica's Holiday Romance Part II
by jeff4bigred
Summary: Ben and Monica get to spend the night together like they wanted to in episode 6. Rating may not be needed but I'm being safe


Ch7: New Years Day "Ouch, damn it!" Ben smashed his head against the headboard as his cell phone exploded into that annoying chicken dance ring. Continuing to lie in bed for the moment he massaged his injured skull while reaching for the phone, "heelllo," Ben choked out through half waking pain.

"Hi man it's Dino."

Ben rolled over to look at his alarm clock: 6:58AM. "Dino, it's before seven in the blessed AM. The whole goddamn planet is still comatose, this better be good."

"Just called to see when I'm coming over, remember the plan we made last night."

"It still is last night. While on break from school Ben Connor only recognizes one seven-o-clock per day, THIS IS NOT IT."

"Ben you promised me I could spend the day watching football on that big screen of yours," Dino persisted.

"You can't possibly expect to hold me to anything I said yesterday, I was drunk." Ben stumbled toward the bathroom medicine cabinet, which contained the aspirin he so sorely needed at this moment.

"Ahh come on Ben."

"Alright, alright when do the games start?"

"That's just it man, this is the pacific time-zone, and everything starts early. It's only about an hour until the first one comes on."

"Come on over, if you must." Ben snarled, he was still drowsy and his hangover wasn't helping.

"Jeez, man you are hung over. You know Ben, lots of little drinks add up to a big drink." Dino ended the call.

The Connor's annual New Years Eve party had become a local legend in their small part of Seattle, and last night's was no exception. It was the one night when Ben's parents seemed to let down their rather patrician facade and have some fun. All the family's close relatives and friends would gather to talk, dance, and especially drink their way into next year. The house was so crowded and alcohol flowed so freely, it was easy for Ben and his friends to sneak a few drinks. A few too many Ben's aching head told him this morning. 'And to be up at this unholy hour, Dino really needs some tranquilizers or something.'

At her bungalow across town Monica Young was doing her best Eskimo impression. She clutched her thick white comforter around her neck; her head was the only visible part of her body. Underneath the covers she was wearing only a thin, thigh length black slip. She'd lied in bed most of the morning enjoying her last day of solitude before her mother came back. She uncovered a hand long enough to find the remote and flip on the TV, not really aware of what day it was.

For Miss Young, all the time off during holiday break seemed to just run together. It was so strange not having to go to work, grade papers, create lesson plans, and heard students. She would simply lose track of time and place. Or maybe she was just trying to forget, the television reminded Monica that this was one of her least favorite days of the year. It was around 10:00AM and her television happened to be tuned to Fox. "Texas A&M had better be careful here or it's gonna be Katie bar the door. Opening the second quarter of play 21-0 Tennessee." The voice of the commentator boomed over an aerial picture of the Cotton Bowl.

She gnashed her teeth and changed the channel: ABC. "So Iowa and LSU are about ready to get it cranked up here: Kyle Schlicher has the ball on the tee for the Hawkeyes, back to receive for the Tigers are…"

'Oh my god.' She changed the channel again: NBC. "The 2005 Toyota Gator bowl is brought to you by…"

"Shit, shit, shit" She clicked again: ESPN. "David Greene completes his pass and has a Georgia first down." 'Jesus Christ how many are there?'

Defeated, she turned the television off and pulled the covers completely over her head. 'I am not coming out until this day is completely over. Football, oh how do I hate football, let me count the ways.' The last part at least made her smile to herself a little.

Monica had always been something of a tomboy; in fact she liked most games and sports, but not football. Her first serious boyfriend and her first broken heart had come at the hands of a football player she dated in high school. He was the school's stud running back and the one all the other girls wanted. Monica Young was 17 and at the time she loved him as much as it was possible for her to love. He was a year older, but Monica thought he loved her too. She had given into him in the back seat of his 1977 Ford Mustang. However, he graduated and received football scholarship offers a short time after that. He left Seattle without ever telling her, she found out from his parents over the phone. Monica realized now that it was beginning of a pattern in her romantic life. She couldn't stand football after that. Thoroughly disgusted and saddened Miss Young forced herself out of bed.

Having wandered from her cocoon of covers Monica soon realized how cold it was. She grabbed a pink terrycloth robe from her closet and covered herself. Then she pulled her long, silky brown hair out from inside the robe, and shook her head about to free it. It was that gesture that came so naturally to women, and drove men crazy when they saw it. Finally she was comfortable and went to the kitchen to make coffee. Her new cell phone was lying on the kitchen table; Monica's face formed a smirk, time to wake Ben up.

"Hello," Ben answered after the first ring.

"Hi baby, I was hoping to wake you up." Monica's voice showed her disappointment, her fun had been ruined.

"Yeah Dino got me up before seven this morning. He's in the living room as a matter of fact, watching all the bowl games."

"I see, and where are you?"

"Me, I'm in the kitchen." Ben looked right at Dino as he lied. He mouthed the words Miss Young to his friend. Dino nodded knowingly and turned his attention back to the screen. On the other end of the line Monica could clearly hear the broadcast in the background.

"It doesn't sound like you're in the kitchen, I can hear that trash quite clearly. Or are you forgetting that I've been in your house a number of times now, boyfriend." Boyfriend, Ben sat ramrod straight, every pore of his body vibrated. He grabbed the remote and turned the volume down. Dino began to protest but was met by Ben's sliding a finger across his neck, cut it out Dino.

"There that's better isn't it, ga, girl, girlfriend," Ben forced the word out of himself. Dino turned away from the screen, pied eyed at what his friend had just called Miss Young.

"Any chance you could come over today, I pick my mom up tomorrow. Last chance." Monica's voice was set to full seduction.

"I don't see how, my parents are asleep upstairs. Besides I'm stuck entertaining Dino he's a sports freak." Dino shot Ben a glare as he overheard his name. "Look I'll try and come up with something, but don't sit by the phone waiting."

"I have nothing else to do, boyfriend. Goodbye Ben."

There was that word again, Ben shivered as he pushed the end button on his phone. "So," Dino demanded immediately?

"She ahh, she wants me to come over." Ben's reply was distant, he was still thinking about being called her boyfriend. She'd never called him that before. It was supposed to be a compliment, but instead it sent chills down Ben's spine. Monica Young was a smart, desirable, and absolutely gorgeous woman, why couldn't he just enjoy her? And why did the word boyfriend scare him as much or more than thrill him?

"Dude, dude, when and how are we gonna get you over to your woman?" Dino broke in on Ben's thoughts.

"Dino there's no way," Ben's voice was surprisingly upbeat.

"Hey man, I saved you on Christmas, I'll cover you again. Don't you want to see her? I'm mean I know you've seen all of her there is to see, but still she's hot! And she's throwing herself at you. My god I'd kill for that."

"Why did I have to tell her that I loved her?" Ben sunk into the couch and covered his face with his hands as he realized he was thinking out loud.

"Whoa, wait a minute, you told her you LOVED her." Dino said the word love as if it were some sort of foreign language. Exactly how serious are you two?"

"I think she's serious. I don't know that I am, I'm sixteen for god sake. That night at the dance when Sue and I hooked up, I was supposed to spend that night with Miss Young. I thought I wanted Miss Young back, but now things are so serious again. Even if I could see her, I'm not sure I want to right now. I mean first it's all the sneaking around and lying, it's like I was having an affair. Now it's all this heavy relationship stuff, it's hard." Ben had nearly reduced himself to tears. Dino inspected his friend trying to find some reassuring words to say.

Monica sat at her kitchen table sipping coffee and mulling over the conversation with Ben. Her feelings were much more clear to her. He was different than any other person she'd ever dated. Ever since Ben saw her changing behind the stage, which she was sure he'd done on purpose, he seemed so genuinely interested in her. All other men she'd had in her life treated her as if she were privileged to be with them. With Ben the footing was much more equal, maybe even superior for her because she was his teacher. 'Stop thinking that way Monica, trying to control him was what got our relationship in trouble the first time.' Still the way he'd said girlfriend didn't inspire confidence. 'Men, commitment phobics'. We are so great together, why do I scare him?

As he sat in Ben's living room eating popcorn, Dino had already begun forming a plan. The three would pretend to spend the night at Jonathan's. If Ben's parents checked in it would likely be on his cell phone. 'Okay this is easy, just sneak away from Jonathan's house, in fact Ben never has go there at all.' "Yo horn dog, I've got a plan figured out."

Ben didn't look entirely thrilled as he sat down to listen, but he already knew fighting Dino on this was a losing proposition. So he listened quietly, the plan was fool proof as long as nothing catastrophic happened. "I'm not really sure I want to. Look Dino there is a difference between love and sex. That scares me. If it's love then there's all this relationship stuff to deal with. If it's sex then I'm going to be disappointing her, because it's not sex to her." 'And when Miss is disappointed, every single demon hell holds breaks loose.'

"This may be hard to believe, but I think I understand the difference. Look I had sex with Zoe." 'You lying jerk', Dino thought to himself. "But the way I feel about Jackie, totally different." Ben was outright shocked to hear this from his friend.

"I thought you'd moved on from Jacks."

"No I really haven't, but I can't tell her that, she dumped me. By the way if you let any of this slip to her Ben, I'll turn your skull into hamburger with my hockey stick."

"Jeez, enough with the threats, I won't say anything." Ben held his hands defensively in front of his face.

"Okay, well Ben I think it would be better to know what the relationship is, both for her and you."

"How am I supposed to do that," Ben asked timidly?

"You've got to go and see her, spend the night with her."

Ben sunk down into the couch. It was depressing to admit, but Dino was right. He needed to find out once and for all what this, this thing with Monica Young was. Ben began to remember his first time in the janitor's closet. The way Monica smelled, how her skin felt, and even the way she moved: he could conjure it all with perfect clarity. The moment was all to brief, he'd decided, tonight would be different. He would make it perfect, nothing quick, it would be long and slow and he would find out exactly how he felt about her.

Ch 8: Preparations 

Ben took his wallet out of his back pocket, sixty dollars was all the money he had in the world. It would have to be enough. Ben forced himself to go up to his room and get dressed. He put on a bright red shirt with horizontal blue stripes and a pair of blue jeans. After making a second trip to the medicine cabinet for aspirin he came back downstairs. "C'mon Dino, were going shopping."

Dino's head whipped around and his face fell in disgust, "exactly how hung over are you, I don't shop I'm a guy?"

"Look it's your idea that I go through with this, so off the ass, let's go." Ben motioned toward the front door with his hand. "By the way, bring that backpack of yours, I'm gonna need it." Dino's backpack was full of chips, candy, and snacks he'd lifted from his dad's apartment.

Dino reluctantly shouldered his backpack and followed Ben out the door. They walked to the mall approximately half a mile from Ben's house. The first stop was a candle shop. Ben bought an antique brass candle holder and three scented candles. The first candle was dark red and the scent was fresh cut roses. The second was pale pink: the scent was strawberry. The last candle was pearl white, and the scent was named "wedding day". Thirty-six of the sixty dollars were now gone. Ben commanded Dino to open his backpack, and he placed the items in the front pouch. The second stop was a flower stand near the mall food court. Ben purchased a single white rose and a small amount of dried rose pedals. As Ben paid for the purchases Dino suddenly recoiled in horror. "Look over there." Dino pulled Ben behind the stand as he pointed to a table in on the opposite side of the room. Jonathan and Deborah were snuggling noses over a plate of spaghetti. "We can't get caught with this, romantic crap," said Dino.

"Well put it in your backpack, quick before they spot us," Ben retorted impatiently. Both boys continued trying to hide behind the flower stand.

"Won't the rose like die," asked Dino?

"Ah it's a silk rose son, it's not real. See it doesn't have a smell." The old shopkeeper took the flower and held it up to Ben's nose. "It'll be alright in that backpack as long as nothing else crushes it."

"Here give me that damn thing." Ben ripped the backpack from Dino's hand. He unzipped the main pouch and smashed the bags of potato chips with his fist. Then he laid the rose on the bed of broken chips and closed the bag.

"Thanks, thanks very much." Dino shook his head in annoyance.

Luckily Jonathan and Debs concentration was consumed by each other, they didn't see Ben and Dino. With the candles and flowers hidden the two boys walked over to where Jonathan and Debs were sitting. "Careful man, you might get eaten being that close to food around her," Dino blurted as they approached.

"Dino you scumbag," Deborah grabbed her purse and flailed it like a mace at Dino's head.

"Ha, ho, bull's-eye." Jonathan nearly fell out of his chair laughing as Dino stumbled backwards having caught the purse square in the jaw. "She's stronger than she looks man. Anyways don't be insulting Debs like that."

"So are we still on for tonight?" Ben injected himself into the conversation.

"Sure are, my parents are thrilled, not." Jonathan rolled his eyes.

"I'd be disturbed too at the thought of you three monkeys together in my house all night. What exactly are your dirty little brains up to?" Debs gave a coy smile as her eyes surveyed each of the three boys in turn.

'Were helping Ben nail Miss Young, that's what were up to.' "Just guy stuff, food, football." Jonathan lied.

"Yeah, ah just came to get a pizza for lunch, right Ben," Dino continued the charade?

"Right, see you when we come over later," Ben said sheepishly. He was such an unconvincing liar. Ben then made Dino walk over to the pizza counter and buy each of them a personal pizza.

"It's not enough you drag me around on this quest for love nonsense, now you have to spend my money too." Dino shouted at Ben as they approached the counter.

"Innocent guy stuff huh." Debs cocked an eyebrow at her boyfriend as she watched Ben and Dino's shouting match.

"Well you know we're men." Jonathan smiled awkwardly, as he replied he looked right at Ben. 'Well some of us are.'

Ch 9: Prayers and Promises 

When you want time to move along it never does, but when your running out of time it disappears all to quickly Ben thought. He was sitting on a folding chair in the corner of Jonathan's room, watching his two friends look at racy calendars over the Internet. Being with Monica always made Ben jumpy, but this was worse. It was as if the fate of their whole relationship hung on what he was about to do. He wasn't sure he loved her, even though he'd told her he did. But he for damn sure didn't want to hurt her again. Ben looked at his watch: 9:38PM. For him time was disappearing quickly because so much hung in the balance.

A short time later Jonathan snuck over to his parents bedroom, the door was ajar just enough for him to see in. Excellent, both were already asleep. He waved Ben out of his room and down the stairs. Dino already had the front door open by the time Ben came down. "Go get em tiger," both said as Ben left. There was no playful roar this time, Ben was way to nervous. As he left he wheeled at the curb and displayed his mobile to Dino and Jon: make sure my parents call the cell if they need to check in. They'd already checked up on him an hour earlier, Ben was fairly sure he was safe on that end of things.

Monica was convinced Ben wasn't coming and decided to drown her disappointment in a bubble bath. She'd been relaxing for half an hour, head resting on a towel, playfully blowing bubbles with the soap on her hands. Knock, knock, knock, came three hard raps on the front door. She got up and covered herself with the pink robe and wrapped the towel around her head. Knock, knock, knock the sound came again. "Alright just a minute," she shouted. Monica grabbed her watch from the nightstand; it was after ten. Who in the hell could that be, she thought. She opened the door to find Ben dressed in his red shirt and jeans, holding a duffle bag in his right hand. "Ben I'd given up on you tonight." She hugged him and pulled him inside the house. "How long are you staying," Monica asked, casting an eye toward the duffle bag.

"All night, I can stay all night," Ben said with a nervous smile. Ben sat down on the couch. Monica scuttled off to the kitchen and reemerged moments later with a bottle of wine and wineglasses. It was a red, and fairly sweet wine so she thought Ben would like it. Monica filled the glasses and put her arm around Ben. He accepted the glass with his left hand, and held Monica with his right. She nestled her head against his shoulder and started to sip at the wine. Ben gulped his drink in one swallow. "You're nervous," Monica said running her fingers across his chest and feeling his heartbeat. Ben nodded and poured himself another glass of wine. "Don't be, we can go as slow as we need to. I promise no pushing this time." Her voice was as soft as a feather. Monica lifted her head up and kissed him. Ben set the wineglass down on the coffee table and held her as he kissed back. Both closed their eyes as the embrace continued, tongues hungrily dancing with one another.

Ben ended the kiss by reaching down for his duffle bag. "I've got something for you." He took the white silk rose from the bag. Ben held it by the stem and traced down the veins in Monica's neck with the flower. He continued tracing down to the part in her robe before handing it to her. The two were frozen standing in front of the couch, eyes locked on one another. Monica smelled the rose; it had taken on the slightly soapy smell of the bubble bath.

"It's beautiful, thank you," Monica finally broke the silence. Ben reached into the bag again producing the candles and the dried rose pedals. She smelled every one of the candles, "They're lovely, you went to a lot of trouble Ben Connor," Monica said sweetly. "But I think I have a surprise or two in my closet for you." She playfully touched his nose with her finger. Ben picked up the bottle of wine and the glasses just before Monica took his arm and led him into him bedroom. He took a seat on the edge of the bed while she went over and opened her closet. "Give me about ten minutes babe, no peeking." Monica shot Ben a wicked smile as she closed the bathroom door behind her.

Ben could hear all sorts of rustling behind the door. She ran her hairdryer and he could her brushing her hair. However, time had slowed considerably, it seemed an eternity before Monica reappeared. The door creaked open and out came the groomed Miss Young. Ben measured her from head to toe. The robe was tied much more loosely than before, and it was obvious she wasn't wearing much underneath it. She gave her head that sexy shake to free her hair as she took a seat beside Ben. "Tisk, tisk, tisk, this won't do at all." Monica frowned when she saw Ben was still full clothed. She stood up and pulled him to his feet, and then she started undoing his belt. Ben pushed the robe off her shoulders as his jeans dropped from around his legs. He stepped out of his jeans and the robe fell to the floor. She helped him lift his shirt off over his head. There they were, Ben wearing only gray boxers, and Monica a lacy burgundy slip.

Ben sat on the foot of the bed and slowly crawled backward toward the headboard. Monica set the candles on her nightstand and reached into one of its drawers for her cigarette lighter. Ben was transfixed as he watched the slip ride up her legs. "Haven't touched this in six weeks, aren't you proud of me," she asked as she brandished the lighter? When all three candles were lit she pulled down the comforter and joined Ben in the bed. She still had not relieved the tension Ben was feeling. "You okay," she asked gently?

"Yeah, fine," Ben said hesitantly. "Look Monica, I came here tonight to settle for myself how I feel about you and how you feel about me."

Monica paused for a moment: "Well then, let's find out." She opened the bag of rose pedals and let it rain down on them like confetti as she slid toward him. Ben embraced her and felt her through the slip as she began to kiss him. First his ear, then his forehead and eyes, and finally she pressed her lips against his and pried them open with her tongue. The heat from their bodies was more than enough to keep both warm. Ben's body slowly let go of the tension it was holding onto as the kiss deepened. He finally relaxed and laid back and Monica slid on top of him. Each could feel each other's heart beating.

It was everything he, they both hoped and prayed it to be. It was the most passionate, intimate experience of their lives. Ben lay almost perfectly still on the pillow while held Monica, who had dozed off. She awoke to find Ben staring at the ceiling. "Penny for your thoughts," Ben whispered turning towards her.

"Just thinking how much I'd like to know what you're thinking." Monica stroked Ben's cheek with her fingers. He pulled her closer to him and stroked her soft brunette hair. She nestled her head against his shoulder, and closed her eyes again. Ben resumed staring silently at the ceiling, unbelieving of they'd just done.

11


End file.
